The Only Exception
by rougette
Summary: Rose Weasley: Cynical, pessimistic, practical, and anything but happy. Utterly independent, trusting of no one, and without any interest in romance.    Scorpius Malfoy: The only exception.
1. Prologue

I hate happy people.

For instance, Scorpius Malfoy. The cocky sodder is just so damn happy all the time. It's rather disgusting, actually. Lately I feel as if whenever I see him he's smiling and laughing...he has a very nice smile and quite a cute laugh, but it's the reason he's happy which disgusts me.

Felicity Birdwell is her name. She's beautiful, popular, friendly, and oh-Scorpius' girlfriend. And she's happy, too-what a damn surprise.

People like me aren't happy. People like me have their dreams crushed when their childhood sweetheart decides he wants to "try something new" and goes to ask out the most popular girl in school. People like me are damaged on the inside, but maintain a cold, hard front on the outside. I don't deal with happy. People like me don't put their guards down.

But I can't help it when I'm around him. Every time he looks at me with those open gray eyes, or when he pushes his blonde bangs from his eyes, or when he smiles his sweet grin with the dimples dotting either cheek, I absolutely melt. I can never stay mad at Scorpius Malfoy. He just won't let me.

We were childhood friends. Aunt Ginny, my godmother, worked with Scorpius' mother and the two were good friends. I often went with her to the Malfoy house and Scorpius and I would play for hours. Apart from my cousins Albus and James, he was the only person I knew when I started Hogwarts and he became very protective of me, like an older brother. I couldn't help but fall for his quiet demeanor and sweet smile. He was my first and only crush.

But me...I wasn't enough for Scorpius. I could tell when he looked at me-me, with my bright red curls and brown eyes, my high cheekbones and slightly crooked nose-that he loved me, but not in the same way I loved him. He loved me like a family member, like a pet. Someone he liked to care and feel responsible for.

The day he met Felicity was probably the happiest day of Scorpius' life. I remember him  
sitting next to me at dinner with the greatest smile on his face. His dimples must have hurt from such a huge smile. "Rose," Scorpius said, almost breathlessly. "She's amazing."

_That's not your line, _I pleaded silently. _That's not how we rehearsed this in my head. I'm the one who is supposed to be amazing. I'm the one who you are supposed to get breathless for._

They started officially dating at the beginning of our 6th year. Their happiness wafted through the corridors and followed them to their NEWT classes-Potions, Transfiguration, Charms-classes I unfortunately also attended. Their happiness was sometimes just too much to bear. All I wanted was to graduate Hogwarts and go off to work as an Auror in some exotic city where I would be far enough away from their stupid happiness.

Puppies are happy. Babies are happy. House Elves are happy. I am not happy.

Did I mention I think I might be pregnant with Scorpius' baby?


	2. Chapter One

I hurried along the streets of Hogsmeade, determined that this would be that day I would finally gather my courage and just do it. I had visited the store countless times during the past month, but I could never seem to just walk up to the counter and pay for my item. _But this time, no more excuses_, I promised myself. _Today will be the day when I actually do it. I have to know._

"Hey, Rose! Wait up!" Oh, dear Merlin. "Where are you running off to, Rose?" Albus asked, catching up to my hurried pace. His cheeks were rosy from the cold but his green eyes gleamed brightly. "Haven't seen you all day. Where do you go during Hogsmeade trips?"

"Nowhere," I snapped, hoping it would shut my cousin up and send him on his way. All in all, Albus didn't bother me too much. He was a contemplative character, nothing like his annoyingly hyperactive older brother. And he never seemed too overtly happy, something I've come to appreciate in a person. But today I didn't want any of my meddling family bothering me.

"Hey," Albus said quietly, sounding rather hurt at my harsh tone. He halted me by the arm. "What's the matter, Rose?" He asked, concern shadowing his eyes.

I sighed and looked him in the eyes. "Nothing, Albus. Really."

"It's not nothing," he said, shaking his head. "You're different this year, Rose. You hardly talk to your family or your old friends. All you do is study and keep to yourself. And you look so sad..."

"I'm not, okay? I might not be the cheeriest person, Albus, but - "

"Rose, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Albus asked. "I promise I won't tell anyone. Really."

"Albus - "

"Rose, tell me what's going on."

I frowned, weighing my options. Maybe Albus was the courage I needed to finally get it done. I took him by the arm and wrenched him into the apothecary's across the street. I lead the way, weaving through the aisles of potions and herbs. After my many visits, I knew exactly what I was looking for.

"Rose, where are we going?" Albus asked.

I grabbed the bottle I needed from the shelf and clasped it in my hand, staring at Albus. "Albus Potter, I'm not sure I can trust you with this. If you even breathe a word to James, he'll definitely blabber to Aunt Ginny, and that wouldn't be so bad except that she's sure to tell Harry who will tell my mum and dad and then I'd be dead."

"I won't breathe a word," Albus stated. "I promise."

I took a deep breath and said, "I need you to buy this for me."

"What is it?" Albus grabbed the potion from my hand and read the label. He looked up in shock, in fear. "Rose! A pregnancy test?"

"Shh!" I pulled him behind a display where no one would be able to hear us whispering. "Yes, a pregnancy test. I can't buy it. You need to do it for me."

"But Rose, whose?" Albus asked, looking concerned, scared and furious all at the same time.

"Are you going to buy it?" I asked impatiently. "Or do I need to ask someone more responsible?"

"No, no. I'll do it," he agreed hurriedly. "But Rose, you have to promise me you'll let me know how this turns out, what the test says."

"I don't have to do anything - "

"Rose, if I'm going to keep this from my parents and yours, you need to promise me you'll keep me informed. You need someone to take care of you."

My eyes instantly filled with tears. If only it were Scorpius saying those words, instead of my cousin.

"Okay," I finally agreed. "Now will you please buy it?"

Albus pulled the hood of his cloak over his head as a quick little disguise and paid at the counter. The cashier expertly showed no expression as she placed the test into a paper bag and handed it to Albus with his change.

Snatching the bag from him, I ran to the apothecary restroom and read the instructions. The test couldn't be simpler - how ironic, considering that having a child is probably the least simple task in the world.

"Rose?" Albus called from outside the door. "Rose, are you finished?"

I placed the test carefully on the sink. It would take a few minutes to get the results. If I were pregnant, the potion would turn bright green. If not, a dull blue.

I opened the door and quickly ushered Albus inside the restroom, closing the door behind us and locking it. As he leaned back against the wall, looking intently at me, I sat myself on the lid of the closed toilet and put my head in my hands.

"Are you feeling okay?" Albus asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told him. "I had just been feeling a little sick in the morning and wanted to make sure that the one night hadn't led to..." I trailed off, unable to finish. Instead I played with a loose string on my jeans. I couldn't look at Albus.

"Rose...you are the last person I'd expect for something like this to happen to. You're usually so cautious."

"I know."

"Did someone pressure you into it? Were you just not careful?"

"That's just it, Albus. I'm always cautious about everything. But...not with him. He's the exception."

Albus looked at me quizzically.

I sighed. "It's a long story."

Albus walked over to me and took my hand. "I've got time."

***  
_It Christmastime. Scorpius and Felicity had been together for three months. I hardly saw him anymore and it depressed me...my days now consisted of holing up in my dormitory, studying for hours, and occasionally fitting in some time to read horribly tragic adolescent novels and relating them to my own life. My grades were at the best they had ever been, but as time went on I felt more and more detached with my life._

_It was the day after Christmas. I had returned to Hogwarts early, sick of my family's games and merriment. Dad had arranged for me to be able to Floo into Professor Flitwick's office that night._

_As I began to haul my trunk out of his office, he called out to me, "Just finished grading the exams from last week! Outstanding job, Rosie!" There had grown to be so many of us Weasleys by this time that Professors had resorted to calling us by not-so-clever nicknames. _

_The walk from Flitwick's to Gryffindor is longer than I remember, I grumbled in my head. Especially with a trunk and Liddea's cage. My owl Liddea clucked as I dragged my things down the corridors. I had just one more flight of stairs to climb when they suddenly switched, right as I was about to step onto them. _

_"Dammit!" I cried in frustration. _

_"Need some help there?" _

_My heart beat faster just hearing his voice. I turned to face him coolly, one hip jutted out as if I had all the confidence in the world. It's funny though; I don't think Scorpius was ever convinced. "Not from you, Malfoy. I'm sure Liddea would be more help getting my trunk up the stairs than you would."_

_Scorpius cracked a smile and shook his blonde hair from his eyes. "You know, Rose, the one thing I didn't miss about you during this past week were your incessant insults." He hugged me, rubbing my back as he did._

_"Happy Christmas!" I said happily. "Er, belated Happy Christmas!"_

_"You too," Scorpius replied. "Thanks for the Quidditch book you got me. You really are Hermione Granger's daughter, getting a guy a book for Christmas." I turned slightly red at the comment, but he said it as more of a compliment than anything. "I really like it. And hey, I'm sorry I didn't get you anything. You know how busy I am this time of year..."_

_"Oh, sure! I mean...I really didn't expect anything back. Don't worry about it. I had just seen that book while Mum and I were Christmas shopping and thought of you...it's not a big deal or anything." Ugh. I had said way too much. "Um, how's Felicity?" I asked as Scorpius heaved my trunk onto his shoulder and led up the staircase._

_"She's fine."_

_"What did you get her for Christmas?" I asked curiously. Once when I was twelve, Scorpius had actually remembered to buy me a Christmas present. It was a cute little jewelry box that played music when it was opened. I kept it in my bedroom and would have still had it in the dormitories if they girls hadn't teased me about to no end._

_"Felicity's Christmas gift?" Scorpius scoffed. "Dos it really matter? I haven't even seen her to give it to her yet."_

_"You didn't see her on Christmas?" I asked in surprise._

_"No. She was off with her family in Germany. I would have apparated over there to give it to her, but I haven't taken my exam yet." Scorpius shrugged but then smiled slightly. "She'll be back tonight though, so I'll give it to her then. I think she'll like it."_

_"I'm sure she will," I replied with certainty, though he hadn't said what the present was and I really didn't have the faintest idea what Felicity would like. _

_"Well, I'd better be going to get ready," Scorpius said as he stopped before the portrait hole. "Maybe I'll see you later, Rose. Gryffindors are having a little bit of an after Christmas party here in the common room if you'd like to join."_

_And experience all of his and Felicity's lovey dovey-ness first hand? I think not. "Thanks for the offer, Scorp. But I really have some Potions stuff I should be studying for…"_

_"Can't you give the studying a rest for a night, Rose?" Scorpius asked with a smile but then added, "Of course, I understand if you aren't able to make it. I just don't get to see you very often anymore and…I don't know. It's weird." He shrugged. "I hope I'll see you there?"_

_I sighed and smiled, so unable to resist his obvious charm. "I'll try and make it," I finally gave in. He grinned at me and began to walk away toward the Slytherin dungeons. I was so stupid to think I was able to resist him. And I was equally stupid for thinking I'd be able to study while a party was being thrown in the common room that night._

_"Come on, Rose!" urged my roommate Ramona, poking her head around our door. Ramona was an all around sweet girl with round brown eyes and wispy brown hair, but she had a terrible knack for following the social crowd. She held a glass in her hand and was already clearly tipsy. "The professors are all gone except for Flitwick. We can party all we want and won't get into any trouble!"_

_I sighed impatiently. "Ramona, can't you see I'm trying to work on something here?"_

_She rolled her eyes and walked over to my bed, shutting the book I was studying from. "You have time to do that, Rose. Come on, you never do stuff like this because you're afraid you're going to get into trouble! Usually I am too, but tonight is different. There isn't anyone to stop us." She grinned and pulled me up from the bed. "The Hufflepuffs are already here and the Slytherins are just now arriving!"_

_"The Slytherins?" I asked. Scorpius would surely be with them, and Felicity was a Ravenclaw, which meant she hadn't yet arrived at the party. I would be able to spend some time with Scorpius without her being there, or even knowing. "You know what, Ramona? Let's go," I decided, leading the way down the stairs to the common room. _

_"Rose!" Scorpius greeted me almost immediately with a huge smile on his face. "I'm so glad you decided to come! Charlie! Get some drinks for me and my girl!" He called me his girl. I couldn't control the grin spreading across my cheeks as we sat together on the sofa and drank and laughed. Of course we weren't alone—were we ever?—but it was certainly enough for me. The drinks didn't do it for me—I simply got drunk off Scorpius' presence._

_"You know something, Rose?" Scorpius asked me, a bit of a slur in his voice. But it didn't matter that he was a bit drunk…I was just thrilled to be spending time with him. _

_"What, Scorp?"_

_"There's something I want to tell you. But you're probably going to think I'm stupid for even remembering it…"_

_"I could never think anything you said was stupid," I replied quickly. Ugh, I sounded so desperate. But I didn't care. I had spent years of my life hiding my infatuation for him. I might as well hint and play it off as the drink talking. _

_"Well…" Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "Can't believe I'm actually telling you this, but…I used to be completely in love with you."_

_My heart nearly stopped beating and my cheeks flushed a terrible red. "What?" I asked breathlessly._

_"It's true!" Scorpius nodded as if he were trying to convince me. "When I was younger I thought you were the most gorgeous thing on the face of the earth. I even told your Aunt Ginny I wanted to marry you but she just laughed it off." He grinned and took a drink. "And look now, here we are, lifelong friends at the age of sixteen—"_

_"We're both seventeen, Scorp," I reminded him._

_"Seventeen, sitting here and sharing drinks without any, er, weirdness between us." Scorpius clinked his glass with mine, as if giving cheers. "And I'm damn glad for it, too. Swear to Merlin, for a while in there I thought I'd never get over you."_

_"Scorpius," I said with mounting urgency, leaning into him. "There's something I need to tell you—"_

_"Liss!" Scorpius cried, jumping up from the couch, spilling his drink on my cardigan. He greeted his beautiful girlfriend with a kiss straight on the lips, right there in front of me. My heart dropped in a sickening way. "Hey, love. Did you just get here?"_

_"Yeah, just wanted to come and see you," she said in her delicate voice, smiling up at him. Politely she looked over at me and said, "Hello, Rose. I hope you had a good holiday." Felicity was one of those girls who were nice to everyone in school, even though she was clearly popular enough to be rude to whomever she liked. But I had always felt she didn't like me very much, despite her seemingly friendly greetings._

_"Yeah, thanks. It was nice. I hope yours was, too," I replied as sweetly as I could, without slurring. It was already too much that Felicity was prettier, nicer, and had Scorpius—I didn't want her to think I was a miserable drunk as well._

_"Thanks," Felicity replied. "Do you mind if I steal Mal away for a while? I just haven't seen him since the beginning of holiday and really missed him…" Mal was her sickeningly cute nickname for Scorpius. Oh Merlin, kill me now._

_"I'm sure Rose won't mind," Scorpius replied for me, his arm already wrung around Felicity's tiny waist. "Come on, Liss. Let me get you something to drink."_

_Fighting back stinging tears, I stood from the couch and pushed past the crowds. All I wanted was to be back in my dormitory, the curtains closed tight around my bed, studying my life away. What good was life anyway if I couldn't have him?_

***

"Prick," Albus snorted furiously. "Rose, he's an ass. I mean, I like the kid and we're on Quidditch together and everything, but I've always known he's stupid about girls."

I smirked. "You should have told me that about ten years ago."

"Okay, I get that you liked him and everything, but…" Albus looked warily at the pregnancy test, still developing on the sink. "What does he have to do with that?"

***

_It was nearly one in the morning and the party was still going on downstairs. I groaned and turned over again in bed, my blankets pulled tight over my head, wishing for the hundredth time for this night to be over. And that's when I heard my dormitory door open._

_"She's probably in bed already," I heard Ramona whisper not so quietly and rolled my eyes. "I told you she'd be asleep!"_

_"It doesn't matter. I need to see her." Scorpius?_

_"Suit yourself," Ramona replied and walked back out._

_Frowning, I opened the curtains around my bed and sure enough, Scorpius was standing before me, red circles around his eyes and his hair a hazard. "Scorp? What are you doing here?"_

_Scorpius sighed heavily and sat on my bed, burying his head in his hands. "You're the only one I can come to, Rose."_

_"What's the matter?" I asked worriedly, terrified he had done something stupid while he was drunk._

_Scorpius raised his head, looking absolutely dreadful. "Felicity just broke up with me," he said haltingly with a thick voice._

_"What?" I asked, half in disbelief. "But…why?" Who would ever break up with Scorpius?_

_"We went over to the Room of Requirement and I gave her the Christmas gift I got her and she seemed to like it. But then we got into this massive fight—I don't even know what about—and she said she didn't want to be with me anymore. It was as simple as that…" Scorpius shook his head as if he couldn't believe it either. "I just…I just don't know…"_

_"You…you must have said something to her up there that made her mad," I reasoned. "Because when you two left the common room, she was still as in love with you as ever…"_

_"I didn't say anything to her, Rose!" Scorpius cried in frustration. "Listen, I came up here because I was upset and I needed to be with someone. So don't go making this a pity party for Felicity."_

_"I wasn't," I said quickly. "I'm not, I just…I just don't understand why anyone would break up with you…"_

_"I don't know, Rose. I just…" Scorpius gritted his teeth and looked upwards. "I did everything a guy is supposed to do for his girlfriend. I treated her like a princess. I know what we're supposed to do—my sister reads all those teenage love books and tells me all the romantic things we guys are supposed to do for the girls. I just wish she had appreciated some of it, but she never seemed to."_

_"I don't know why she didn't," I said quietly, staring at Scorpius' profile. "I certainly would."_

_Scorpius turned and looked at me, a strange expression upon his face. "Rose," he murmured, gently tucking a strand of red hair behind my ear. "Rose, you really do have the most beautiful eyes. I can never tell if they're green or blue. I remember why I had such a crush on you when we were younger." Then, slowly, he leaned in and brushed a soft kiss on my lips. After hesitating for a moment to make sure I wasn't protesting, he kissed me again, this time pressing a bit harder. I could feel the warmth of his lips spreading across mine. I could taste the alcohol on his tongue, but I didn't care. I loved Scorpius Malfoy and he had just told me I was beautiful. He was kissing me. I didn't care about anything else._

_He softly took the back of my head in his hands and pulled me closer, kisses growing deeper. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my hands combing through his wonderful hair. We laid back on my bed, without even stopping kissing. It was then that I felt Scorpius reach for my shirt. I gasped._

_"Is this okay?" Scorp whispered into my ear._

_And even though I knew he didn't love me, though he had just broken up with his girlfriend, and though he was drunk, I nodded. I wanted him in the worst way. I still do._

***

"I don't remember Scorp and Felicity breaking up," Albus frowned.

"They got back together the next day," I shrugged. "She said it was all a misunderstanding. Scorpius came up to me to tell me the good news—he was ecstatic. He remembered telling me they had broken up, but he didn't remember what we did that night."

"Are you trying to tell me he was too drunk to remember he had sex?" Albus smirked.

_"Rose," Scorpius had said, still brimming with excitement over his and Felicity's mended relationship. "I'm sorry that happened last night…I was drunk and I think you were a little tipsy too and it just shouldn't have happened. I'm just glad nothing more happened…so we don't have to worry. I'm just glad we stopped when we did."_

"Not entirely. He remembered that we had done stuff…but that's all. I didn't even tell him we had sex because…I don't think he would have taken it well. I think that he would have been so disappointed with himself that…I don't know what he'd do."

_"Friends?" Scorp had smiled at me. "You don't know how much you mean to me, Ro."_

"Well," Albus said, standing at the sink. "The potion turned blue. You're not pregnant, Rose."

I sighed heavily as Albus came over to show me the colorful potion. "So it's done, then," I said quietly.

"Yeah," Albus said, throwing the bottle into the garbage can. He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Aren't you relieved?"

I looked away hurriedly. I didn't know how to answer the question.


	3. Chapter Two

Can I just say how incredibly much I hate Valentine's Day? Sure, for girls like Felicity Birdwell it's absolutely wonderful. They're showered with boxes of chocolates and sweet little decorative cards which tell them just how special they are. But for girls like me—girls who are cynical and untrusting—for us, it might just be the most dreaded holiday of the year. In addition to my basic dislike for the day, I also woke up that morning with atrocious nausea. If I hadn't just taken that pregnancy test, I would definitely have thought it was morning sickness.

"Merlin! Are you okay, Rose?" Ramona called, knocking at my stall door. We had stopped into the loo before our Potions class that day and the poor girl had to deal with my weak stomach. I can tell you now; it wasn't a very pleasant morning for Ramona Birchwood. "Rose, are you sure you don't want me to call anyone for help?"

I quickly flushed the toilet and unlocked the stall door, planting a smile on my face. "Of course not! Must have just eaten something at breakfast that my stomach didn't agree with."

Ramona raised an eyebrow, looking very unconvinced, but shrugged and said, "Well, we should get going, then. We're going to be late for Potions."

Who even cared? I knew that Scorpius and Felicity would be in that class, sitting in their usual seats conveniently placed right in front of mine so that I could experience all of their Valentine's lovingness firsthand. I inwardly groaned but quickly washed my hands and followed Ramona to the Potions chamber.

"You should get her a little stuffed animal," Gavin Abernathy was telling Albus as Ramona and I walked over and sat at our usual table. "Maybe something with a little heart on it. Girls always love that kind of stuff."

"How would you possibly know what girls like, Gavin?" I asked with a smirk as I put my things down at their table. Albus had first met Gavin when I had ditched him on our first Hogwarts Express train ride to go sit with Scorpius. The pair had become best friends that day and had been inseparable ever since. As they grew older, they were the two that girls envied—of course, along with Scorpius—but I had never looked twice at Gavin. He was still that scrawny dark-haired kid with the over-abundance of freckles and the crackly voice. But to tell you the truth, I don't think Gavin ever looked twice at me, either. When you're as pessimistic of a girl as I am, it's kind of a guy-repellant.

"If girls don't like me, then why have I already gotten four Valentines this morning?" Gavin replied, opening his bag and pulling out a pile of obnoxiously bright and shiny cards. "And it's not even nine o'clock yet."

"Ha, I got six," Albus grinned, looking very proud indeed.

"It's probably out of pity," I dismissed.

"If it's out of pity…how many have _you _gotten so far, Rose?" Gavin asked with such fake curiosity that I just wanted to smack him across the face. But controlling my temper (Uncle Percy had said I needed to work on that if I ever wanted a high-standing position at the Ministry), I just smirked and sat back in my seat, arms folded over my chest.

Just then, Scorpius and Felicity walked into the room. It was so depressing…they were holding hands in the cutest way—fingers interlaced with each other's. He looked at her with pure adoration as she spoke and twisted her blonde locks around her finger. A new silver necklace was laced around her neck, and hanging from it was a heart pendant. Undoubtedly a gift from her wonderful boyfriend. I sighed and tried not to look too miserable, but it was useless. I had spent the past ten years of my life loving him and I get nothing out of it?

Albus nudged me and muttered, "You okay? That was not a happy sigh."

As the pair kissed and took their seats in front of me, I just rolled my eyes and muttered, "Whatever."

"…and then she had to just run to the bathroom and puke," Ramona was telling Gavin conversationally looking very concerned. "I'm just glad I was there so she wasn't alone. I hate being alone when I'm sick."

"Yeah, same," Gavin told her, and then turned to me. "You alright, Red? Didn't eat some bad Valentine's chocolate, did you?"

I made a quick, sarcastic look as if to say _oh, you're so funny_. "I'm fine. But thanks for the loving concern, Abernathy."

Gavin laughed and went back to talking with Ramona, but Albus turned to me distraught. "You were sick? Is it like, morning sickness?"

I rolled my eyes. "Albus, the test was negative, remember? I'm not pregnant. As stupid as he is, Gavin's most likely right—I probably just ate some bad food at breakfast or something."

"Just be careful, Rose. Until you're absolutely sure, you shouldn't be drinking or any of that. You have to be really careful."

"Albus! The test was negative—I'm not pregnant! So you don't even have to worry about it anymore. It was one night and it was months ago. Nothing's wrong." I busied myself with taking parchment out of my bag and retrieving my quill.

Albus watched me curiously as I avoided his eyes. "Are you upset today because of him?" he asked, nodding toward Scorpius.

"Why would I be?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Because of everything that happened—"

"Albus, it's done! Now I don't want to hear his name anymore!"

"Hey, Rose. Happy Valentine's Day."

Dammit. Speak of the devil.

Taking a deep breath, I looked up with the sweetest smile I could muster and replied, "Thanks, Scorp. You too. I hope it's, er, lovely."

Oh Merlin, _he _was lovely. Looking into his eyes was like looking at the sky over my Uncle Bill's Shell Cottage—a strikingly beautiful blue, but at the same time something so familiar that they felt comfortable to hold my gaze to. His blond hair swept over his brow in the loveliest way. I remember being little with him, when we would run and run and run between the tall grasses of the fields around my Aunt Ginny's house or through the hallways of his mansion. And when we grew too tired to run any longer, we would collapse onto each other, his head resting on my stomach. I remember running my hands through his hair, feeling the soft tresses caressing my palms. How badly I wanted to go back to those times, when he called me his one girl. But at the same time, I don't want to be six again. I want to be sixteen with Scorpius still at my side.

"Oh, hello Rose," Felicity said, turning around as well. Her hair was perfectly curled around her rosy cheeks, while I'm sure my naturally coiled hair looked a mess. Well, it hadn't when I looked in the mirror that morning. In fact it had looked rather nice. But nothing I had could really compare to Felicity's perfection that Scorpius so admired. "Are you doing something special for Valentine's Day tonight?" she gave me a coy smile as if I were hiding a cunning little secret.

"Not really," I replied cautiously and decided to leave it at that. Every reply I thought of seemed incredibly moronic: _"No, I've got some studying I should be doing." "No, I got this really good book out from the library and it kind of trumps your made-up holiday." "I have to feed my pet squid, so I naturally put my date with Viktor Krum the Second on hold." _ I am such a loser. "Just not that into Valentine's Day," I finally replied with a shrug.

Felicity smiled gently. "Mm, too bad. I would invite you to spend it at Hogsmeade with Mal and I, but," she shrugged and smiled sympathetically, "if you're not too into it…" She then turned forward.

Sensing awkwardness creep into the conversation, Scorpius smiled at me caringly. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he reached over and mussed my hair. _"I wish I had curly hair," _I remember him musing one day when we were younger. He had toyed with my corkscrews. _"It would make how I look more interesting. Everything about me is just so boring and normal." _

_But you're not normal, Scorpius. Nothing about you could be normal. You're spectacular in every way._

It's funny how I can remember nearly every conversation I've ever had with Scorpius, but he can hardly remember my birthday.

Giving me a final grin as class began, Scorpius whispered, "I hope you have a great day, Rosalina." When he turned to the front, I had such a look of longing and desire upon my face that tears nearly welled up. As I quickly turned my gaze away from him, I looked to my right and suddenly noticed Gavin staring at me with an inquisitive look on his face. He had seen the entire thing. He knew my secret. He gave me one last consequential look before turning away.

Damn. This is why I hate Valentine's Day.

I nearly ran out of the chamber after class. There were just too many people I was trying to avoid—they boy I loved, the tramp he loved, my meddling cousin, my loquacious roommate and the boy who now knew I was undeniably in love with Scorpius Malfoy. I just love my life.

I ran up the winding staircases and through the corridors to the Room of Requirement—desperately wishing for somewhere private. Slamming the door tightly behind me, I leaned back against it breathing hard. I just needed to be alone. But apparently, so did someone else.

"Hello Rose."

I looked up sharply. Sitting in one of the leather sofas was Gavin Abernethy.

Sighing heavily, I asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Probably the same as you," he replied shortly, shutting the book he was reading and setting it down on an end table. "Sometimes I just like to get off by myself. Clearly I know a few shortcuts to the room that you don't, but you made excellent time otherwise." He smiled that smart-ass smile I had grown so accustomed to seeing. It drove me just as crazy as ever. "So what—or _who_—are you hiding from?"

"Gavin, I really don't want to talk right now," I said matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but I would love to have just a little while alone right now. So if you could…"

"If you're insinuating that you want me to leave, it's not going to happen," Gavin told me. He narrowed his eyes. "Face it, I was here first and you came barging into _my _serenity. But if you would like to stay, I won't argue."

"I'd rather be a third wheel on a Valentine's Day date than stay here with you," I leered and turned to leave.

"Rose, think about it," Gavin called to me just as I was about to leave. "You have the rest of the day free to do whatever you want. But it's the fourteenth of February, which means that right now there are hundreds of couples wandering about the school being so wonderfully obvious with their relationships. Do you really want to experience that as a single girl?"

"Yeah, well why aren't you out there with them?" I asked. "Weren't you just this morning bragging about how many Valentines you had gotten? Why aren't you out with one of those girls right now?"

"I wasn't bragging," Gavin argued. His cheeks were red, making his freckles stand out even more than usual. "You were just annoying me, saying that girls didn't like me, and I decided to show you just how much they did. But anyone, none of those girls really like me. They just like the fact that I'm on the Quidditch team and think it's cool that my role on the team is to bludgeon balls at the other team, purposely trying to hurt them. They're not really interested in me. They're interested in the idea of dating a Quidditch team member." During his monologue, Gavin had drifted off into a contemplative voice. As if finally remembering I was still there, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, are you going to sit or no?"

I sighed, but slowly went over to the couch and sat on the opposite side. "So…you're not an arrogant, soft-assured prick like I always pegged you to be?"

"Ah, that remains to be seen," Gavin grinned.

I laughed. It was easy to laugh with him when we weren't around everyone. Gavin had always been my cousin's clown of a best friend—hardly romantic. But here in our own little corner, I supposed that we might be able to get along just fine without anyone asking us if we were into each other. I was also just noticing how he had grown up during the time I had knew him—though still incredibly lanky, he was finally growing into his long legs, and his dark hair had gone from an electrocuted mess to just pleasantly messy. He had a nice smile too; it was rather contagious.

Gavin pulled a few books from the shelves for me—nice thick novels dripping with adventure and romance, just how I liked—while he settled himself with a few historical volumes. We drew warm blankets over our legs and laid back into the couch. I don't know what he was thinking, but I felt wonderful sitting there feeling another person's warmth so close to mine. It had been a long time since I was able to feel close like that to anyone.

"So…" I said haltingly, not sure why I was even bringing up the subject. "Are you going to ask about me and Scorpius?"

Gavin hesitated for a moment before replying, "No. That's your business, Red."

I smiled a bit. Someone was finally on my side. I had finally found someone who respected me…and it was a person I thought I would always dislike. This didn't mean Gavin and I would become the best of friends or even love interests for each other, but it was nice to know that there was someone there.

As I leaned a bit closer to Gavin and cracked book open, I smiled to myself. Maybe Valentine's Day wasn't so bad after all.

Days passed and Gavin and I never mentioned our holiday to anyone, but we did have a better understanding of each other. Now I had two people asking after me: whenever I looked the least bit sick, Albus would pull me aside and question if everything was okay. But if I even sighed with the smallest expression of sadness on my face, Gavin would grin and ask, "Alright, Red?" if anyone noticed our new relationship, it was Albus. But I hadn't expected someone else to notice.

Gavin and I were partnered for a Potions experiment the following week. Albus had taken Ramona as a partner and the pair looked like they were doing fairly well, but Gavin and I were having quite a good time.

"Milk the ringworm's juices into the potion," Gavin read from the book. He grinned at me. "I would make a suggestive joke about that, but I'm too afraid you'd slap me."

"Damn right I would," I replied in mock seriousness. "And you would be crying like a little baby from my blow."

Gavin sighed exasperatedly. "I could make _such_ a dirty joke about that one, too. You're just making this too easy on me, Red."

"Shut up," I laughed. "You're impossible."

"Hey, Rose. "

I looked up in surprise. "Hi, Scorpius."

He was standing right there on the other side of Gavin, looking as adorable as he always did. And he had a bit of a strange expression on his face. "Erm…sorry to ask…but do you have any more rat's tongue that you could loan Felicity and me?"

Gavin handed him a little pouch. "Go ahead, mate. I've got plenty."

"Thanks," Scorpius said, taking the pouch. He looked at me again before going back to his own table.

"Okay, you just _have _to tell me about that," Gavin said as soon as Scorpius had walked away. And this time I knew he wasn't just trying to make fun of me—his eyes glowed with excitement, like when you're about to hear some good news from a friend. "Come one, Rose. I think I've shown you that I'm pretty trustworthy."

I laughed and shook my head.

"Come on, Rose. There's definitely something between you two."

"Didn't Albus ever tell you about me and Scorpius?" I asked. "Why can't he tell you?"

"Okay, Albus and I might talk about girls a lot," Gavin explained. "But you're kind of off limits so we sort of avoid that topic. So come on, tell me."

I sighed exasperatedly. "Fine!"

Gavin leaned in with a smile on his face, as if I were about to tell him the secret to happiness. I took a deep breath and said, "I'm in love with him." And to my surprise he laughed. Prick.

"You're in love with him?" Gavin repeated with a grin. "Come on, be real Rose. Did you two ever even go out?"

"No," I said defensively. "But—"

Gavin laughed again. "Sorry Rose, but I'm a guy." He shrugged. "I don't believe you can really be in love with a person until you've been with them a long time—until you know them inside and out. Until you can answer each other's sentences because you know them that well. I think you have to see how the person treats you as a girlfriend or boyfriend before you know you love them. And most importantly, the other person has to love you back."

I smirked. "As romantic as that sounds, Abernethy, you don't know the whole story."

"Okay, tell me the whole story."

"Well, it would be impossible to do that in such a short period of time—"

"So give me the abridged version," Gavin smiled, his head cocked to the side.

"Well," I began, not sure how to start. "I was six years old and it was summertime. My mother was working that summer so my Aunt Ginny, Albus' mum, watched me for her. That was back when Aunt Ginny was still playing Chaser for the Harpies and she hired a new agent after her old one messed up her contract. Her new agent was Scorpius' mum."

"Hm," Gavin commented. "What a coincidence."

"Because Aunt Ginny had to spend a lot of time over at their house negotiating with Mrs. Malfoy, she would take me to their house with her. And Scorpius…he was just a little boy back then. When we learned we were the same age, we became instant friends. Over the years he became my best friend. We stayed that way up until we came to Hogwarts, and afterward as well. We stayed best friends until the beginning of this year."

"Yeah, I had always seen you two around together," Gavin said. "I once asked Albus and James if you two were dating and they got all defensive about it."

"No, we never dated," I shook my head. "But I've known him nearly my entire life. I know so much about him and how he is…that's why I know I can be in love with him. Because I do know him so well and he knows me." I looked over to Scorpius' table and to my surprise, he was looking back at me. When we made eye contact, he smiled. I smiled back, but it must have been rather half-heartedly because he turned back to Felicity. That seems to be a recurring theme in my life.

"So when he started dating Felicity this year, you two weren't really friends anymore?" Gavin asked. "That sucks."

"Yeah," I agreed. I wrinkled my nose. "Is the smell of this potion really getting to you, too?" I asked, waving away the odor.

Gavin shrugged. "Not really."

It was the worst feeling. My head was killing me all the sudden, and at the same time feeling strangely light. I felt dizzy and my eyes were blurring. Nausea overwhelmed me as it had that morning. I began to sway on my feet.

"Rose!" Gavin cried, taking hold of my arm and steadying me.

"Rose, are you okay?" Albus asked, hurrying over from his table, his face contorted with worry.

"I'm fine," I tried to reply, but my tongue felt oddly thick.

I lost my balance completely and nearly fell to the floor, but Gavin reached under my arms and pulled me up, sitting me down in a seat. "Really, Red. Are you okay?" he asked. "You don't look so good. You're all pale. And your hands are shaking like crazy."

"Are you alright, Weasley?" Professor Malium asked, coming toward me. Even he looked concerned.

"I think the fumes from the potion were getting to her, Professor," Gavin replied regretfully.

"Ah yes," Professor Malium replied. "Well, it might be for the best if you leave class early today, Weasley. Wouldn't want you getting sick in your cauldron. Abernethy, can you walk her back to her dormitory?"

"Yeah, of course," Gavin replied. He gestured toward our cauldron. "We didn't finish our potion, though."

"I'll take her." I looked up to see Scorpius Malfoy raising his hand, looking straight at me. "We've finished ours. I'll take her back to her room."

My heart seemed to speed up a hundred beats per second at that moment, and it felt as if it would spring right out of my chest at any moment. I could feel the stares of Albus and Gavin as Scorpius helped me up from my chair and out of the classroom. And I could spot Felicity's face out of the crowd of students—was that a look of concern upon her face? Was Felicity really jealous of me for once?

We walked along in silence, which seemed odd given the fact we had practically been best friends since the playground age. But my mind felt as if it had been wiped blank. I couldn't think of one good topic to talk about that wasn't stupid or flirtatious. Finally, Scorp broke the silence.

"So what's going on with that Gavin kid," Scorpius asked with sharpness in his tone.

I looked up in shock. "Nothing…"

"Oh come on, Rose. Don't you dare give me that. I'm not blind, I can see you two flirting in classes and in the corridors."

He had noticed me talking to Gavin? "Scorpius, really there isn't anything between us. I needed a friend and he was there," I told him.

"Yeah right, Rose. I'm your best friend. Or I was until you started hanging about with that guy…"

"Look at the pair of us, Scorpius," I argued, my temper beginning to flare. "We haven't been best friends for ages, Scorpius. At least not since you started dating _her._"

"Why are you even bringing Felicity into this?" Scorpius asked. "Yeah, okay, I have a girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I had to lose my best friend."

"No! You lost me when—" _When you drunkenly had sex with me, then forgot all about me and left me to wonder if I was pregnant with your child._

"When what, Rose?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

Scorpius threw his hands out to his sides. "Really, Rose? Oh, you probably go talk to your new best friend Gavin about it, won't you?"

"What is your stupid obsession with Gavin?" I cried frustratedly.

"I don't have an obsession with Gavin," Scorpius said, as if it were the most ridiculous thing. "I'm just—"

"Scorpius, why don't you just leave me alone? You're awfully good at that." I turned on my heel and began to walk away.

"Hey!" Scorpius called, catching up to me and grabbing my arm. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hot tears welled up in my eyes. He was really clueless, wasn't he?

"Hey, Rose…" Scorp's voice softened, and he gently touched my shoulder. "What's the matter?"

Students began to fill the corridors as their classes were dismissed. They crowded around us, pushing past to try and get to their next classes, laughing and chatting happily. "I—I can't talk about it right now, Scorpius. I hate crying in front of people."

"I know," Scorp murmured with his eyes full of concern. "Can we talk about this soon, though? Really?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah…I think we should."

"Room of Requirement. Saturday night at nine." Scorpius squeezed my hand and walked off, leaving me in the crowd to find my way back.


	4. Chapter Three

"So are you actually going to meet him tomorrow night?" Gavin asked me a few hours after my embarrassing ordeal in Potions class. We were sitting on the balcony of the boys' dormitories, snacking on a couple of apples.

"Of course I'm going to," I replied with an _are-you-crazy_ sort of look. "This is Scorpius we're talking about, the boy I'm hopelessly in love with? I've always been the one to make plans for the two of us. Of course he would sometimes just forget about my plans anyway, but that doesn't really matter. He's made the effort to make the plans this time. Of course I'm going to jump at the chance."

"I don't know, Red..." Gavin said with a bit of a frown. He looked out at the grounds of the school. "Don't you think that's just a little bit..."

"Pitiful?"

"Desperate," he said flatly, "is more the word I was looking for."

"Oh gee, thanks for the moral support Abernathy," I drawled, looking away sourly.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Red," Gavin said earnestly. "Remember, I'm a guy. I know how we can work. I just don't want him using you, thinking you'll always jump at his every beck and call, thinking you need him..."

"But I _do _need him," I insisted. How many times did we have to go over this, for Merlin's sake?

"You _don't _need him," Gavin said definitely. "At least you should never let him think so."

"Oh, this is all just so easy for you to say." I hugged my knees to my chest.

"Like I said, I'm a guy. I live with guys. I know how we can do things and take advantage of girls' feelings..." Gavin sighed and scratched his head. "Red, I'm just looking out for you. I don't want you getting hurt again and again. You need _someone _to help you sort through all this Scorpius crap since you've never even had a boyfriend before-"

I glared at him. "I have _so_ had a boyfriend before."

"I'm sorry if I'm mistaken, but I have never seen you around here with another guy before. And you can't count Jasper Payton in third year, either-all you two did was walk to class together and occasionally sit together for meals."

Damn. Jasper was just the name I was about to pull out of my hat. "Well, I still don't see how you have so much experience. Yeah, you're Gavin Abernathy. You're a terrible flirt and girls are falling head over heels for you, but you've never _dated _anyone-"

"Just because it hasn't happened at Hogwarts doesn't mean it hasn't happened!" Gavin exclaimed, frustrated.

My heart sunk and a dreaded feeling spread through my stomach. "You...you have a girlfriend outside of Hogwarts?"

"No, I don't have a girlfriend right now," Gavin answered shortly. "But yes, I did have one. And no, she didn't go to school here." He paused, but I didn't reply. I wanted to see if he would continue talking about her. "We dated for two years. I really loved her-the kind of love we were talking about earlier. I wanted to spend forever with her. And she loved me back."

"Then why did you break up with her?" I asked.

"I _didn't _break up with her, Rose," Gavin sighed and shook his head. He looked so _defeated, _a way I never would have thought I would see Gavin Abernathy. "It's really complicated."

I wanted so badly to reach out for his hand, tell him I was there for him, but we had never really had any physical contact before. And he would probably be annoyed if I tried anything like that. So instead I said, in the nicest possible tone Rose Weasley can offer, "We've got time, Gavin."

For a moment I thought he wasn't going to tell me, I thought he was just going to get up and walk back inside the dormitories. But then he took a breath and began. "I had known her since my childhood, even further back than you knew Scorpius. We were next door neighbors. I was always either at her home, or she was at mine. Our mothers sent us to nursery school together, and later primary school, and we were always in the same classes together until I got my letter to Hogwarts."

"You didn't know you were a wizard?" I asked.

"No. Both my parents were Muggles. My aunt is a witch, and they only told me after I received my letter." Gavin smiled a bit." I was so excited to come here. I told her...my friend...about Hogwarts and how I was going to go and she could hardly believe it. I thought she really wouldn't believe me about the whole magical world thing, but she always had this incredible imagination and she really welcomed the idea and made me promise to show her what I had learned when I came back for the summer.

"We were still best friends, even when I came to Hogwarts. We wrote letters almost daily and I told her everything about this place, from the Great Hall to the Forbidden Forest, to Professor Flitwick and Albus...and you."

I looked at him in surprise. "You told her about me?"

"You were just about the strangest girl I had ever met in my life, Red," Gavin shrugged. "You were unlike any other person-any other _girl-_I had ever met. I was so intrigued by you when I was younger." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, we still maintained our friendship for years. I was there for her when her parents decided to send her away to boarding school in France, though she really didn't want to go. And she was there for me when my mum died during second year."

"Oh, I didn't even know," I said, again surprised at all that Gavin was telling me. "I'm so sorry, Gavin."

He looked briefly at me. "Thanks. So yeah, we were always there for each other. And then one day when I was just about fourteen, I had the brilliant idea of actually dating her. I had never dated anyone before, but Albus had just gotten his first girlfriend and Charlotte was really the only girl I could ever picture myself dating. So I asked her to be my girlfriend and she said yes. And we were both incredibly happy."

"Charlotte?" I repeated. "Her name was Charlotte?"

Gavin nodded. "Yes. Charlotte Elizabeth Cooper."

"So..." I began, toying with a loose string on my sweater. "If you two were so happy, what happened?"

A cloud shadowed Gavin's face and he swallowed hard before replying heavily, "Her parents found out I was a wizard. And then they wouldn't let me see Charlotte anymore."

My eyes widened. "What? Are you serious? People are still like that?"

Gavin nodded. "I'm still not sure how they found out. Charlotte's father had been getting very wary of me being so close to his little girl for the past few years, and I still wonder if he just wanted me to be away from her. But it was just a normal day for the two of us. We were sitting in Charlotte's bedroom watching a movie-you know what those are, right?-and then suddenly her parents barged in and began screaming at me for not telling them my secret. They could hardly speak the word _wizard_, as if it were foul language. They threw me out of their house before I even realized what was going on. I tried to see Charlotte, but they made it impossible for us to even come in contact. They even threatened my aunt, telling her that if I ever tried to make contact with Charlotte that they would tell the Ministry I had tried to seduce her by using my magic."

"But the Ministry can tell! They know what spells you've used and on whom!" I cried.

"But my aunt even told me that if they thought I was harassing a Muggle in any way, that I would be kicked straight out of Hogwarts," Gavin said seriously. "I had already lost Char, I didn't want to lose my school, too."

I looked out at the towers and lawns of Hogwarts. I couldn't bear to look at Gavin's hurt face. He had been the rock, the one solid person in my life for the past weeks, and to see him crumbling before me hurt worse than I could possibly have imagined.

"I moved in with my aunt at the end of this summer. I just couldn't stand seeing Charlotte anymore. I couldn't stand looking out my bedroom window and seeing her take out the garbage from her house, or taking my dog on a walk and looking up and seeing her standing in her kitchen, talking on the telephone. It just all hurt too much. I had never had a great relationship with my dad after my mum died...he always thought the whole magic thing was just too _weird._ So I moved in with my aunt, who had always been sweet to me. She actually lives quite close to the Potters, so I got to see Albus more often."

"Does he...does anyone else know about this?" I asked warily. _Am I the only one you've opened up to about this?_

"Albus knows, to a certain extent. I mean, he was my best friend for all those years that Char and I were writing letters every day. And he knew when we started dating and he knew when we stopped. He didn't ever really learn why, but he definitely knew that I was different starting this year when we came back to school."

We were both silent for a moment as I tried to think of something to say...what could I say, though? All of his troubles made mine with Scorpius just seem insignificant and childish.

"I...I'm so, _so _sorry Gavin," I told him sincerely, finally looking him straight in the eyes.

"Me too," he replied softly. Then he looked at me. "Red, I just wanted to show you that everyone has love problems. And sure, they do impact you, but they don't _make _you who you are. Don't let this prick Malfoy make you feel so miserable and desperate all the time. You're so much better than that, Rose. You don't deserve that heartache. No one does."

My eyes welled up with tears. "I just..." I said shakily, hating to cry in front of him. "I just love him so _much, _Gavin."

"I know," he nodded sympathetically. "And I loved Char. But Rose, Charlotte loved me _back. _That's the difference between my relationship with her and yours with Scorpius. And have you ever considered that maybe...maybe Scorpius and Felicity have that special love for each other? And that maybe...you're just complicating things for the pair of them?"

I let out a sob, and put my hands over my face. I knew he was right.

"Oh, Rose. I didn't mean to hurt you by saying that," Gavin said softly. He slid a bit closer to me on the balcony. "I just feel like it's something I have to tell you so that you don't keep letting him hurt you like he does."

"I know, I know," I cried. "It's just so _hard._"

"Yeah, it is," Gavin nodded. "I can testify to that. I can't tell you how many times I've started letters to Charlotte, letters I won't ever be able to send."

I looked up at Gavin, seeing his paled face, and chuckled a little bit. "We're a fine pair, aren't we?"

He laughed. "Yeah. A fine pair." He smiled at me. "Come here, Red," he beckoned and pulled me into a hug. It was the first time we had ever really touched in this way, but I felt completely comfortable in his arms, with my cheek to his chest.

"Hey, Gavin," Albus said, coming out onto the balcony. "We have to get going to the Quidditch pitch. Oh, and Rose, your mum says to Floo her when you get the chance tonight."

I looked at him in fright. "It's not about...you know...she didn't find out, did she?"

"No, no, no," Albus assured me, widening his eyes. "No one knows about that. It's probably just about what happened in Potions or something."

I groaned. "I can already see the _Witch Weekly _headline: _Daughter of Weasley Fame Faints at School: Anorexia or the Trials of Fame?_ Merlin, I hate being the child of famous parents."

Albus snorted. "Tell me about it. You're talking to the son of Harry Potter, here."

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes and pulled my bag over my shoulder. "Well, I'll let you two get going. Have a good practice."

"Thanks," Gavin said. "You'll be at the match tomorrow, won't you Red?"

I smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it."

By the time I got back to my own dormitories, my mother was already chatting with Ramona from the fireplace.

"...and then she just kind of keeled over. Yeah, it was really weird but I've seen her since then, and she looks to be doing a bit better!"

"Ramona," I said shortly, casting her a rather dirty look.

"Right," she smiled guiltily and backed away from the fireplace. "Well, I have to be going, Mrs. Weasley. It was nice talking to you again."

"It was nice speaking with you as well, Ramona," my mother's cool, superior voice drifted from the fireplace as Ramona scrambled out of the room.

I tossed my books on my bed and slumped into a chair by the fireplace, seeing my mother's face within the flames.

"Hello, Rose."

"Hi, Mum. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. Honestly, I don't know why my mum puts up with me to the extent that she does. I'm probably one of the more difficult teenage daughters around, in terms of having a 'bad attitude'. But on the other side of the spectrum, I have impeccable grades, get along very nicely with my professors, and don't get mixed up in any 'funny business'. Perhaps for a woman such as Hermione Granger Weasley, those are better assets than having an immaculate relationship with your mother.

"What's going on, Rose?" Mum sighed, sounding very tired. "I got an owl from Professor Malium saying you fainted in class today? Are you taking care of yourself? Your father's in a right state, thinking you've got some incurable disease or another."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I insisted. "Really, Mum. The fumes from the potion we were making just really got to me and I started to feel a bit woozy. I didn't even fully faint! I just stumbled a bit and Albus and Gavin came to my rescue..."

"Gavin?" Mum repeated, interestedly. "Is this a boy?"

I groaned. Of course my sharp-as-a-tack mother would catch Gavin's name within the midst of the story. "Yes, Mum. Albus' best friend, remember? He came to our family party last Christmas? We happened to be partners today and he was there when I started to feel a bit sick."

"I see."

"Mum, it really isn't a big deal! Honestly, the only reason anyone is talking about it is because I'm yours and Dad's daughter. If it were anyone else, no one would give a crap!"

"We're just making sure everything is alright, Rose," Mum said rationally. "NEWTS are coming up and you have to be prepared..."

"I will be, Mum. All I ever do is study." I rolled my eyes.

"Except when you're off spending time in the boys' dormitories," Mum replied quickly. She sighed. "Rose, this just isn't like you. What has come over you these past few months? You left Christmas early, you're having troubles at school, you don't see Scorpius anymore..."

"Mum, how do you even know about Scorpius?" I asked belligerently.

"Rose, you haven't mentioned him one time during this conversation. All you used to talk about what Scorpius. And Albus even said you haven't been seeing your friend much anymore..."

"You've talked to _Albus _about me?" I cried.

"Rose, we're just concerned for your well-being," Mum insisted.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to resist a publicity field day?" I accused her. "I really just don't understand you, Mum. I don't think I ever will."

"We don't have to understand each other, Rose. But we still have to at least _try."_

I rolled my eyes again. "Well, be sure to tell Dad that I'm not dying or anything. I'm feeling fine ever since _Scorpius _brought me back to my dormitory after Potions."

Mum, sounding very defeated and realizing she wasn't going to be getting much out of this conversation, nodded. "Alright, Rose. I'll be sure to tell you dad."

"Good. I have to go, Mum."

"Goodbye, Rose."

Without giving her a reply, I left the fireplace. Suddenly, a sickening feeling rushed over me. I ran to the washroom, throwing myself over the toilet and retching into its bowels.

_Merlin, _I swore. _What is wrong with me?_

"Rose? Rose are you alright?" I heard Ramona call as she came back into the dormitory.

"Fine," I managed to croak. "Can you close the door, please?"

"Let me know if you need anything," she told me, shutting the washroom door.

Breathing shakily, I gently leaned back against the cupboards, closing my eyes. _I took the pregnancy test. I can't be pregnant. Albus even showed me the results. I can't be pregnant. _But there was a gnawing feeling inside of me telling me that somehow, I was wrong.

I gingerly reached up to the counter and found one of Ramona's cosmetic magazines. Dropping it to the floor, I paged through it, looking for the mail-order section. It was in there. Isn't it strange that pregnancy tests are offered in the mail-order section of a cosmetics magazine? I pulled my wand from my pocket and tapped the picture of the pregnancy test. It differed from the one that I used in Hogsmeade, but no matter. Surely it would work the same way. I closed the magazine and placed it back on the counter, slowly standing up and rinsing my mouth out. This time I wouldn't be as scared to take the test. At this point, I would rather know than not know.

The following day came quicker than I expected it. I woke up with a jumbled stomach-this time not because of nausea, but because of my impending meeting with Scorpius that evening. I rolled onto my side and groaned, covering my face with my blankets.

"Come _on, _Rose! Wake up!" Ramona insisted, sitting on the edge of my bed. "The Quidditch match starts in less than an hour and if we want to get good seats..."

"Ramona, stopppp," I grumbled. "We only have two days a week to sleep in, and I don't want to wake up yet!"

"_Rose," _she whined impressively. "This is important! It's the first match we've been able to have since October, and it's against Slytherin. This will decide if we make it to the House Cup finals or not!"

"This isn't the World Cup, Ramona. It's not _that _big of a deal."

"And you promised Gavin you would go see it."

I pulled the covers off my face and looked at Ramona. "How do you know that?" I asked her.

She grinned. "Because he told me today at breakfast."

"Merlin, I have to get ready!" I cried in sudden realization, jumping out of bed and running to the wardrobe.

"Gee, _someone _is excited," Ramona teased. "I didn't know you fancied Gavin, Rose!"

Pulling on a pair of jeans and a gray tank top, I rushed to the washroom. "Ramona, would you please get off my bed and help me? Get me a sweater from the wardrobe and pull out my short boots!"

"So you _do _fancy Gavin?" Ramona squealed.

"Just because I don't answer you doesn't mean I'm in love with Gavin!" I told her. I stared in the mirror and tried to pull back my curls into a ponytail. Deciding against it, I let them fall loosely over my shoulders and quickly applied some mascara and rubbed lotion onto my arms.

"I know, I know. But he's so _cute, _Rose. I would definitely approve," Ramona grinned as she came into the washroom and handed me a pale purple sweater and my boots.

"Thanks," I said, yanking the sweater over my head. "But you know just as well as I do that I'm not looking for any relationships right now. I've never been that kind of girl."

"And yet, I still like having you as a friend," Ramona shrugged, following me out of the washroom. "What's that?"

"What's what?" I asked, pulling on my gray coat and wrapping my Gryffindor scarf around my neck. I looked over to the window where Ramona was pointing and my heart dropped. There was an owl, carrying a package, wrapped in the cosmetic magazine's logo.

"I didn't order anything recently..." Ramona said quizzically, walking to the owl. "Maybe one of the other girls-"

"It's mine!" I exclaimed, pushing past Ramona to the owl. "I ordered some more mascara. I'm nearly out of it and didn't want to go to Hogsmeade to get some more..." I shoved my due amount into the little pouch secured on the owl's leg and took my package, quickly stowing it in the deep pocket of my coat. "Not a big deal. Let's go, Ramona."

Ramona frowned and I was sure she didn't believe my story, but she didn't say anything. She led me from the room, and we walked silently to the Quidditch pitch.

"Would you like anything to eat?" I asked her as we entered the pitch, seeing all the vendors with little snacks for the students.

"No, thank you," Ramona replied quietly. I rolled my eyes. Why was she acting so put-off? Was it because I had obviously hidden something from her? Honestly, can't I have my own privacy?

"Well, I'm going to get some Bertie Bott's. Save us a couple of seats, will you?" I asked. She nodded and left me to buy my snacks.

"Hello, Rose."

My heart leapt. I could recognize that voice anywhere. "Hello, Scorpius," I replied, turning to see him in his Quidditch robes. "Shouldn't you be with your team?"

"I should be. But Felicity had wanted to see me before the match." He smiled at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks. Thank you for bringing me back to my dormitory yesterday afternoon."

"Of course," he nodded and smiled again. I smiled back.

"So..." he began. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Remembering everything I had spoken about with Gavin the previous evening, I had a sharp instinct to refuse the meeting. _I don't want him using you, _Gavin had said, _expecting you'll jump at every back and call. _I remembered how concerned Gavin had looked about my well-being, how his dark eyes had softened, telling me I was better than what Scorpius wanted from me.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked. I looked up into those wide, gray eyes with the lashes framing them, and absolutely everything Gavin told me just melted away.

"Yes," I finally replied. "We are."

"Good. Can we meet in the courtyard at say, eight-thirty?" I nodded. "Good. Well, I should be going, Rose. I'll see you soon." He turned and began to walk off.

"Wait, Scorpius!" I called after him, running to him. I threw myself into his arms and hugged him like I hadn't in a very long time. "I'm so glad we're finally going to be able to talk. I have so much to tell you...and I really, honestly can't wait." I finally pulled away, grinning, and my smile only grew larger when I saw that Scorpius had been smiling, too.

"I can't either. I'll see you later, Rosie," he grinned and jogged away.

Smiling and feeling ecstatic, I grinned and let out a little giggle. I was meeting with Scorpius tonight. Scorpius, the boy who I had been dreaming of since I was a little girl. Scorpius, who made me feel like no one else could. And _he _had made the effort. He _wanted _to see me!

I turned in excitement to run up to my seat, but my heart dropped. Standing there, behind me, was Gavin Abernathy. And he had heard everything.

"Gavin, I..." I began, but couldn't say anything more when I saw the incredible hurt in his eyes. Then, his hurt turned to anger. He brushed past me and stalked off. "Gavin!" I called after him. "Gavin, I'm sorry!" But Gavin didn't turn back. And I couldn't help but feel that I was the second girl to hurt him and make him feel this pain.

"Ugh, come _on, _Albus!" Ramona cried an hour into the match.

The Slytherins were giving Gryffindor a good match and the only means for a victory seemed to depend on who caught the Snitch first. Scorpius had come dangerously close to catching it only about twenty minutes into the game, but swerved when he was nearly hit by a bludger. "Nice hit to the bludger by Abernathy!" yelled the game announcer, but I knew that there was more to the strength behind Gavin's hit toward Scorpius than anyone else knew.

"Ten more points to Slytherin!"

Ramona and I groaned, and continued yelling for Albus, who was flying around the perimeters, keeping a sharp eye out for the Snitch.

"This game is neck-and-neck," Ramona commented, leaning so far forward in her seat that a good wind could push her out onto the pitch. She was back to her normal talkative self, and I assumed that everything had been forgotten. "And Albus and Scorpius are both great Seekers. This is going to be interesting."

"I just don't want to be around Albus' bruised ego if Scorpius does catch the Snitch first!" I yelled over the noise of the other Gryffindor fans, who were cheering loudly for the latest ten points made by their team, once again tying the score.

"Albus? With a bruised ego? No, _never_," Ramona said cheerfully, winking at me. I laughed. "Oh, look! There goes James with the Quaffle, again! Maybe we will be able to win this match!"

I watched my older cousin race toward the other side of the pitch with the large red ball under his arm. Then suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Albus dive.

"He's seen it!" Ramona cheered, jumping up and down. "He's seen the Snitch!"

Albus dove and swerved after the little golden ball, with Scorpius streaking after him. But Scorpius would never be able to catch up. Albus was too fast and already had such a gain on him. Now if he could just close the twelve foot gap between him and the Snitch, the Gryffindors would win the match...

"Oh, no!" Ramona cried, pointing to the right side of the pitch where a Slytherin Beater had just lobbed a Bludger in Albus' direction. Albus didn't see it coming.

"Albus!" I screamed. The Bludger was coming at him faster and faster, gaining speed. I could hardly bear to watch it collide with him...but suddenly...

"Yes!" Ramona screamed happily. "Gavin stopped it!"

Just as the Bludger had been about to hit Albus, Gavin flew in from out of nowhere, and expertly smashed the Bludger back in the other direction, to the roars of the Gryffindor fans.

But then, my heart skipped a beat. "Oh, no," I whispered, seeing it happen before it actually did.

Gavin turned over his shoulder to see Albus catch the Snitch and hold it over his head, but he didn't see the Bludger change direction, and come back straight at him, hitting him when he wasn't looking.

"Oh!" I cried, standing in my seat. "Gavin!" Tears sprang up in my eyes, and I hoped with everything that I had that he hadn't taken the Bludger to his head. Maybe it had hit him in the shoulder, or the upper arm. _He has to be alright,_ I prayed silently. _He just has to._

But as my eyes realized that Gavin was falling faster and faster toward the ground, as my screams filled the air, as my heart beat faster than I knew it could, I devastatingly realized that after this, this accident, that he might not be alright. And even greater to my surprise was my realization that it would hurt me worse than I could ever imagine it to.

**A/N: I realize it has taken me forever to update this story, but reading back on it, I absolutely love Rose and the other characters and just had to write more about them. I hope you all like the chapter and I can't wait for you to read the next one :) if you have any questions or comments, PLEASE review! I love reading all of them and hearing from the people who encourage me to write. Thank you for reading!**


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